The Cable Guy
I have always been a big fan of Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick for a long time. I knew Broderick could act from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I knew Carrey could do comedy from both Ace Venturas and The Mask. However, Carrey proves that he can really act in a serious part. He makes it comedic but the role is a scary one that he performs well.
The Cable Guy pushes Carrey's acting abilities even further into the world of, dare I say it, drama. With some good morals behind the movie that can't really save the movie, Carrey goes overboard with a psychotic cable guy who just wants to have a friend. After he installs cable (for $50) for a customer (Matthew Broderick), he becomes obsessed with being his friend. He calls him day and night and fills his answering machine with messages. Broderick finally gives in and goes to a restaurant with him.
The scene in the restaurant is funny but after that, it turns into a dark drama with some comic moments. But the drama overpowers the comedy and makes the movie scary and suspenseful, even up to the final moments. Ben Stiller, who has a cameo appearance in an ongoing trial about a twin who kills his brother, did a great job walking the line between comedy and drama. He does a wonderful job of holding Carrey back from making the ending a comedy. It could have spoiled the movie.
However, I think the movie was already spoiled to begin with. The premise is good but the execution is scary. I guess that is what the purpose was, but it turns into a stalker flick. As Carrey tries to mend Broderick and his girlfriend's (played by Leslie Mann) relationship, he turns evil. He follows Mann and her date to a restaurant and brutally and graphically beats him up. It may have a couple funny moments but the overall scene is quite grewsome and uneasy to watch.
The most surprising thing I found watching this movie is that Carrey has potential to being in films other than slapstick. He was amazing as he crossed the line to real dementia. It not only surprised us, but it scared us as well. It kind of makes you think twice about getting cable. But Broderick portrays his character well and adds a crispness to the film. One criticism I had with the film was the ending. I had gotten to hate the cable guy so much that I actually was wishing that he would die. I don't mean to spoil the ending, but I am not looking forward to seeing a sequel and that is what the ending left room for.
The Cable Guy is rated PG-13 and I almost felt like it should have been rated R. It had some violent scenes (the bathroom scene) and a vulgar and LONG "Porno Password" sequence that went on forever and could have easily been left out. In fact, many of the scenes could have been left out to make the movie better. Do not take little kids to this, even though it teaches a moral. But this moral is more for parents and how they should spend more time with their kids. So go watch a G rated movie like The Hunchback of Notre Dame with them instead of watching this one.